Norway to USA. Concerns regarding sponsoring.

[jkb]

So here is the lowdown for our situation:

One US citizen and one Norwegian citizen (me). We've been together since 2008, and got married in the summer of 2013. I visited the US several times during that period, often staying the full three months the VWP allows.

My American spouse then came to live with me in Norway in January 2014 and we are currently still living here (he applied for family immigration here and now has a residence permit), but as a tempting job opportunity came up for him, more so than any Norwegian prospects, we want to move to the US. He has not been working during his stay here, which means no income on his part. His previous employment ended at the end of 2010. He will leave for the US before me to start preparations for his new job, but I intend to follow pretty shortly thereafter to help him get set up and subsequently submit a GC application. He owns a house in the US that we might be able to list as an asset, but it falls slightly short of the full requirement, and we do not intend to convert it to cash within 12 months (is it accurate that you cannot use your main residence as asset?). So we need additional evidence that shows we can support ourselves.

I am self-employed (since 2010), and I work from my computer. I have one steady and loyal client, a huge world wide media localization company. I am able to work wherever and whenever as long as I have an internet connection. I make well above the poverty limit listed for a household of 2 individuals.


First question out of the way:

Will my husband be able to sponsor me with a brand new job, maybe only being employed for a month or less when we submit my application? Does he need a minimum amount of paychecks for his new job to be considered in the mix (the I-864 page here mentions 6 months), or does he need a tax return with listed income on it? Should he perhaps include evidence of expected income? His job will coincidentally be a federal job (within the TSA).


Now, that leaves me with the following (rather specific) questions regarding sponsoring requirements where I provide the income in case he cannot:

Since I am self employed and cannot provide a contract, an employment letter or any of the sort, what type of income documentation will the USCIS need? Are we talking bank statements and receipts that show the payments came from the same company, along with tax returns? Will they need a certificate that shows I am self employed with my own company? Will they also need documents showing we lived together (in Norway) for the last six months, so that I am part of his household or is this only for assets, not income?

And if this is the case, how do I make Norwegian bank statements/invoice receipts "official" in the eyes of USCIS? What will count as evidence of payment from the same source? Do I need to have bank statements and 30+ pages (annually) of receipts of invoice payments translated and notarized with official stamps, apostilles and whatnot? And for how many years/months back? One attorney we asked online said it would be hard to prove the continuing nature of income if you were self-employed. Any tips here? My payments only come from this one company. I might be able to obtain some sort of official reply from them that say they will keep providing me with work as they have for close to five years now.

And unrelated to sponsoring:

I assume our Norwegian marriage certificate and my birth certificate MUST be translated and notarized, plus have the apostille stamp?


I feel I am being very anal about this, but I obviously want the documents I bring to be valid and legitimate in the US!

Thanks a lot for any help you can provide

[Allopez]

It's rather easy

In short, you shouldn't worry too much. You'll be fine.
Here's why: if you intend to travel to the U.S. very soon to join your U.S. citizen husband, you may do so - get a visitor visa and when in the u.s. , file i130 AND i485 and EAD Together to adjust status and request permission to work. You will get the permission to work in less than 90 days. The green card will take about a year, but you can be with your husband legally. I would not worry too much about the i864. Since you live in (expensive) Norway, and you got an attractive job offer in the us, I can assume you are above poverty line , and you will make more than about $20k in the us. All the info you have is worth attaching to your application.
If you are not planning to join your husband immediately, you can file just the i130 at the moment.
Whatever you decide, file asap, because this is a time consuming process. Plus, once you get your GC , you will be able to apply for citizenship 3 years later.